1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of support structures for potted plants and in particular to a potted plant holder.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. DES 345,871; 5,450,692; 4,068,761; 5,487,476; and 4,770,303, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse multi-armed potted plant holders that are designed to accommodate a plurality of potted plants in an aesthetically pleasing fashion.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical potted plant holder having a number of functional features that are neither taught nor suggested by the above mentioned patents.
As any gardener or plant lover is all too well aware, most stationary potted plant holders have somewhat limited usage simply by virtue of their stationary nature which does not permit the rotation of the supported potted plants so that each potted plant receives generally the same amount of exposure to sunlight over a period of time.
In addition, there are many instances wherein a given stationary potted plant support device is simply too tall for a given location and therefore useless for its intended purpose.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among gardeners and plant lovers for a new and improved potted plant holder that incorporates the features of vertical adjustability and relative rotation into its design and construction; and, the provision of such an arrangement is the stated objective of the present invention.
Briefly stated, the tree shaped potted plant holder that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general an adjustable height main support unit, a plurality of potted plant support units and a stabilizing unit.
As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, the main support unit comprises an upper tubular support member that is rotatably and telescopically received in a lower tubular support member wherein both the upper and lower tubular support members are adapted to receive the plurality of potted plant support units which come in different lengths so as to produce a generally tree-shaped configuration for the assembled potted plant holder.
In addition, each of the plurality of potted plant support units include a generally rigid support arm member having an outboard end provided with a split ring pot receiving element having a side opening that can be expanded and retracted to accommodate potted plants having different circumferences.
Furthermore, the stabilizing unit includes a plurality of stabilizing rod members that project outwardly from the lower tubular support member to maintain the main support unit in a vertically upright position.